Baluchistan Economic Forum, President Address to M.A. Jinnah University students

Karachi, June 11, 2019 (PPI-OT): President, Baluchistan Economic Forum, Sardar Shoukat Popalzai said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a mutual benefit program for both countries, after completion of 17,000 MW power projects at a cost of $ 34 billion, Pakistan will be able to meet the total energy requirement of the country. This he stated while he was delivering a lecture on CPEC and One Belt and One Road initiatives to MBA (Project) students of Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, (MAJU) Karachi yesterday. Associate Dean, Business Administration and Social Sciences, Dr. Shujaat Mubarak and faculty member Ali Nasir were also present on this occasion.

Sardar Shoukat said that CPEC as a regional integrator with greater opportunity provided for underdeveloped provinces of Pakistan precisely Baluchistan. He said that the impact of CPEC on Pakistan’s economy may be seen in long run which will help Pakistan to become a transit state for the regional economic power. He said that there are three major pipeline project for Baluchistan and the completion of all these three pipeline projects will create opportunities for the province particularly downstream industries, such as oil refinery, fertilizer plants, petrochemical, etc.

He said that not only Pakistan but overall Central Asian countries will also be the beneficiary of this project. He said that CPEC project will help us to improve our infrastructure, provide new jobs opportunities to control unemployment problem. Sardar Shoukat said that there is a vast scope to improve further economic relations of the People’s Republic of China and Pakistan with reference to the province of Baluchistan. He said that China can help us in transfer of technology, direct investment, joint ventures in energy, fisheries, fruit processing, agro-food, tourism, livestock and mineral development.

He said the private sector of chine can also provide technical expertise for Gwadar port and Gwadar city development. He further said that there are many challenges for doing business in Pakistan such as unresponsive bureaucrats, inadequate infrastructure, a pre-modern mindset among much of the population, to name a few.

He said that One Belt, One Road initiative of China is an economic instrument for the success of CPEC .Meanwhile MAJU Associate Dean, Dr. Shujaat Mubarak also spoke to the session and briefed to the students on current monetary policy, its types, inflation rate, State Bank of Pakistan role and challenges being faced by the country presently. Later on he presented shield to the guest speaker, Sardar Shoukat Populzai.